1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device able to communicate with an image forming device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a host terminal, like a personal computer (PC), and an image forming device, like a printer, are connected through a network, usually software known as a printer driver is installed in the host terminal to convert documents created or viewed by applications installed in the host terminal to printing data compatible with (namely, printable by) the image forming device, which is connected to the host terminal through the network, by using a page description language supported by the image forming device. Here, the “printing data compatible with the image forming device” means printing data able to be printed in the image forming device.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a printer driver.
As shown in FIG. 1, a printer driver 12 is installed in a host terminal 1, and includes a data reception section 121, which receives document data created or viewed by an application 11 installed in the host terminal 1, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) controller 122, which performs control so that setting values of the printer driver 12 or the document data are stored in a storage unit 123, the storage unit 123, which stores the setting values of the document data received by the data reception section 121 and the setting values of the printer driver 12 controlled by the GUI controller 122, and a writing section 124, which converts the document data to printing data compatible with the image forming device based on the setting values stored in the storage unit 123.
The data reception section 121 receives the document data created or viewed by the application 11, and the storage unit 123 obtains the setting values of the document data received by the data reception section 121 from the application 11. In addition, the storage unit 123 obtains the setting values of the printer driver 12 from the GUI controller 122 in order to convert the document data received by the data reception section 121 to printing data compatible with the image forming device. The setting values obtained by the storage unit 123 are sent to the writing section 124 through the data reception section 121, together with the document data received by the data reception section 121. Based on the setting values of the document data obtained from the application 11, and based on the setting values of the printer driver 12 obtained from the GUI controller 122, the writing section 124 converts the document data to the printing data compatible with the image forming device. The printing data converted by the writing section 124 is sent to the image forming device via the network from a port controller 13 of the host terminal 1.
In the latest network environments, usually, plural image forming devices are connected to the network. In addition, along with spreading of usage of mobile phones and portable PCs, it becomes necessary that one user be able to use different image forming devices at different sites; thus it is required that one host terminal be able to control plural image forming devices. For example, it is necessary that plural printer drivers corresponding to respective image forming devices be installed in the host terminal.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-310488 (hereinafter, referred to as “reference 1”) discloses a printing system in which one driver is installed in plural printing devices of the same type in one installation. In the printing system disclosed in reference 1, the plural printing devices appear to be managed with the same ID number but different network ID numbers; hence, on the side of the host terminal, which manages the plural printing devices, it is not necessary to install plural printer drivers.
However, the host terminal does not always control printing devices of the same type. When the host terminal controls printing devices of different types, the corresponding printer drivers should be installed in the host terminal. In addition, even when the host terminal always controls printing devices of the same type, a printing device in use may be exchanged for a new one because of the service life or trouble. Due to the exchange of the printing device, if it is required to extend functions of the printer driver installed in the host terminal, the printer driver having the extended functions should be installed in the host terminal. Installation of the printer driver in the host terminal increases workload imposed on the OS (Operating System) of the host terminal; furthermore, such installing increases cost and work time of the user.
To solve this problem, it has been proposed to install plug-in modules into the printer driver which has been installed in the host terminal, and to add the extended functions only when it is required to install a new printer driver having the extended functions.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-173701 (hereinafter, referred to as “reference 2”) discloses an information processing device able to efficiently install plug-in modules for realizing additional functions in existing printer drivers.
In recent years, along with improved functions of utility programs executing in the image forming device and the host terminal, the printer drivers have more and more functions. However, depending on users, different parts of functions of the printer drivers are used, and in many cases, not all of the functions of the printer drivers are necessary.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-75758 (hereinafter, referred to as “reference 3”) discloses a printer driver that can present the functions possessed by printers in a system only when setting the printer driver to use functions of a printer, and thus it is possible to make settings faithful to the functions possessed by the printers in a simple way and with high operability.
In the information processing device disclosed in reference 2, since only the new additional functions are installed as plug-in modules, the workload imposed on the information processing device is lowered compared to the device which has to re-install the whole printer driver. However, since the number of operations in the installation is not reduced, the workload imposed on the user, such as cost and work time, is reduced very little.
In the printer driver disclosed in reference 3, since a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) is required to provide data for setting printing conditions for each connected printer, in an environment including an unspecified number of connected printers, a large capacity storage device is required to store many DLLs.